Guest Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Does anyone have any good ideas for activities to support - 'Shows interest in shapes in the environment'? We are currently looking at 'light and dark' and next week I will introduce the idea of 'shadow'. Any thoughts appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_19782 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Well, not quite what you are looking for but we have painted numbers in fluorescent paint and stuck them in unusual places around our hall, we then turn off the lights, we have a dim natural light coming in, and give the children torches to go on a hunt for them. Also have stuck up moons and stars bought in a pound shop, and they love to see all the fire signs on the walls too. Outside I have taken photographs quite close up and laminated them and children are given a photo and sent off to find that shape, plant. Or whatever 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_3307 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 This is about the child recognizing that shapes exist around them, there's a building on my way to work which I always call the shape house - it has triangle, square and circular windows!! That's what this statement is about, linking their understanding and applying it. To plan for it I would direct all adults to talk about the shapes they see, when and where it is appropriate to model the vocabulary of shape. Cx 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_79 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 You could go on a shape walk/ hunt? Children could have a picture of a shape to look for and maybe photograph where they find it? I think this is an ongoing activity focus rather than a tick and move on though, so children will need to be building up their knowledge and recognition of shapes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 we went on an indoor shape hunt last week, with each child choosing a plastic shape and finding a matching one. we took a photo of each child in our key group with their shape and the shape they found, and these are now in our book boxes to browse before group time. the children can relive the experience and re-visit learning. we ate malted milk biscuits - rectangles! and modelled shape language, e.g. let's bite off a corner and see how many corners are left. this week we will do an outdoor shape hunt and take photos and see if anyone is using the shape language modelled. i also asked children to describe the shapes - my shape is like a ..... sun for a circle, window for square etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_14268 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Last week we went on a shape hunt around the outdoor area of the whole school. Photos were taken and have been displayed on the wall. Its amazing how quickly the children get into it and point out shapes that we have missed. We also hide lots of shapes around the outdoor area for the children to find. They then have to place these on the matching chalk shape that we draw. We then talk about sides, corners, straight lines etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_30128 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 A very simple idea is to cover a table with paper and draw simple shapes on it.....the children then use it to colour. You will find some change things in to other things (like a triangle in to a roof of a house) or a circle in to a face. They may make shape 'monsters' so a square yeti or a star shaped alien...this can be enhanced by sticking googly eyes on some of the shapes randomly or they may just use the shape as an outline for colouring. This way you have lots of differentiation in one activity ...so some may be working on fine motor skills ....some on imagination and some on shapes!!! Lots of conversation about what the shapes make them think of and shapes will also be differently orientated which ensures that they are recognising by property not by memory (IYSWIM) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks for all your helpful comments everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 printing with junk modelling/paints goes down well too - packaging is in their environment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 printing with junk modelling/paints goes down well too - packaging is in their environment Thanks, sooty - I decided to use the collage/junk modelling trolley with a view to the children talking about the shapes they choose. I love the idea of taking photos of the environment and will do this another time. This is definitely an area that I struggle with, so thanks again everyone for your ideas. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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